The technical field is ergonomically designed digital cameras.
Digital cameras are becoming increasingly popular, given today""s fast growing computer technology. Among the many advantages, digital cameras can be made compact because they do not need film, and the digital images produced by digital cameras can be downloaded easily to a computer, printer or television, stored electronically, sent to the internet, and e-mailed to friends and family.
However, the digital cameras available in the market today are not designed to be comfortably held or operated. Normally, a person taking a picture has to hold the camera with both hands, and raise the entire camera to eye level.
Efforts have been made to make digital cameras smaller, lighter, or even resembling a remote control so that they can be operated by one hand. However, those efforts have not eased the discomfort of having to position the hand awkwardly in order to raise the camera to eye level.
Another problem associated with the traditional cameras and digital cameras is that in order to switch between a portrait and a landscape position, a user has to tilt the entire camera 90 degrees, putting the user""s hands in an awkward and uncomfortable position.
Yet another problem associated with the traditional cameras and digital cameras is that the viewfinder found in most digital cameras normally has a low resolution display and drains much of the battery power.
Still another problem associated with the traditional cameras and digital cameras is that the built-in flash, typically positioned near the lens, can cause red-eye effect when it flashes.
An ergonomically designed digital camera takes a big step forward from the traditional way that digital cameras are built. The camera enables a user to take pictures with the user""s hands in a comfortable and natural position. The camera includes a hand grip that is designed to be comfortably held by one hand, and a lens assembly that is positioned above and may be connected to the hand grip by a telescoping and rotating device. The hand grip may include one or more buttons including a shutter trigger located on a front surface of the hand grip, and one or more command control buttons located on a back surface of the hand grip. The camera also includes a memory device, operatively connected to the lens, that stores digital images or videos. The ergonomically designed digital camera may further include a portrait/landscape rotate button that enables a user to rotate the lens or an image array between a portrait position and a landscape position by simply pushing the button. In addition, the camera may include a microdisplay viewfinder that offers a high resolution display and helps to conserve battery power. The camera may also include a telescoping flash that can be raised high above the lens to achieve red-eye reduction or other special effects.